Carpenter&#39;s laying-out tool.



G. MYERS.

GARPENTERS LAYING-OUT TOOL.

APPLICATION FILED DEU. 21, 1911.

Patented July 16, 1912.

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narran srarns Parana onirica GURNEY MYERS, OF LANSDALE, PENNSYLVANIA.

CARPENTER/S LAYING- OUT TGOL.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, GURNEY MYERS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Lansdale, in the count-y of Montgomery and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inCarpenters Laying-Out Tools, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to carpenters laying-out tools, and it hasparticular relation to a device for use in connection with carpenterssquares, and also independently, for laying out the various timbers usedin forming buildings and other structures.

The principal object of my invention is to provide a simple andefficient device for laying out structural timbers and for readilyascertaining the lengths thereof by a. graphical method, and whichdevice may be readily and quickly manipulated, having no unduecomplications, to the end that the same may be particularly useful inpractical carpentry, as it may be readily used for its designed purposesby any mechanic of ordi nary attainments.

My device is also useful in laying out stair work or the like and manyother uses for the tool will be obvious to the mechanic.

My present invention contemplates more particularly certain improveddetails of construction as will later appear.

The nature and characteristic features of my present invention will bemore readily understood from the following description taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, in whichFigure 1 is a plan view of a device embodying the main features of mypresent invention, the samebeing shown in connection with an ordinarycarpenters square; Fig. 2 is a transverse section thereof, enlarged,taken approximately on the line 22 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a similar viewtaken approximately on the line 3-8 of Fig. 1; 4 is a fragment-ary viewof the pivot end of a swinging graduated blade employed in the device;and Fig. 5 is a fragmentary underneath plan view of a portion of a slidehead or block forming one of the elements of the device.

Referring to the drawings, in the particular embodiment of my inventiontherein shown, 6 is a slide head having a straight working edge 7, andan upwardly projecting threaded stud 8, the center of which studSpecification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 21, 1911.

Vgraduated blade 11, the pivot Patented July 16, 1912. Serial'No.667,109.

coincides with the 7 of the head 6. The stud 8 is threaded except for asmall portion near the base thereof, and is centrally apertured as at 9,which aperture is preferably circular for a port-ion of its depth, andfor the remaining por.

edge 7 of the slide head 6 as clearly shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 5 of thedrawings.

Mounted on the stud 8 is a swinging end of which is clearly shown inFig. f1 and which is provided with a circular aperture 12 arranged ashort distance from the end thereof. The center of the aperture 12 nearthe end of the swinging graduated blade 11 lies in the plane of thegraduated edge 13 of said blade, and is the theoretical point ofcommencement of the graduations thereon. For the purpose of clearnessthe ner graduations as well as the graduation numerals are omitted fromthe drawings. It will also be 4seen that on one side of the aperture 12there extends a projecting semi-circular collar 14. As before stated theblade 11.is pivotally mounted on the stud 8, the aperture l2 engagingsaid stud, and superposed over the blade thus mounted is a washer 15having inwardly extending projections 16 which engage complementalvertical slots 17 in the stud 8, this arrangement serving to preventrotation of the washer 15 about the stud 8. Threaded on the stud 8 overthe washer 15 is a knurled hand nut 18 which serves to clamp theswinging blade 11 in any desired position. The washer 15 which is lockedagainst rotation as hereinbefore set fort-h, thus serving to prevent therotary mot-ion of the clamping nut '18 from being communicatedV to theswinging blade 11 when it is desired to clamp the same at a fixed angle.By removing the hand nut 18 and washer 15 the blade 11 may be reversedso that the apparatus may be used on either arm or either face of thecarpenters square as occasion may require.

plane of the straight edge.

10 preferablyI s before stated the aperture 12 of the swinging blade 11is located near the end of said blade, that is to say, there is provideda short extension 19 of the blade 11 which extension is also providedwith an aperture 20 having straight margins 21 and 22 parallel with theworking edges of the blade 11. The end margin 23 of the extension 19 isa circular arc dr'awn from the center of the aperture 12. f

Mounted upon the slide head 6 is a plate 24 having a semi-circular cutout portion and grooved as at 25, the end of the extension 19 of theblade 11 being loosely confined in said groove 25 in such manner as topermit free movement of said Ablade on the pivot stud 8. A protractor 26is also mounted in a recess in the head 6, the protractor 26 and thegroove 25 being laid out from the center of t-he stud 8 upon which theblade 11 is mounted, and the arrangement being such that the angles willbe indicated on the protractor 26 by the extension 19. There is alsoprovided means for clamping the slide head at xed loca-tions on theblades of the square 29, said means comprising clamping members 27having hook like ends 28 which engage one of the edges of the blade ofthe square 29. The clamping members 27 are arranged in slots 30 and 31cut in the respective top and bottom faces of the head 6 and extendingpart way across said faces fro-1n the respect-ive edges of said head asclearly shown in Figs. 1 and 3 Vof the drawings, the slots in the topand bottom communicating with each other through openings 32 throughwhich the clamping members pass. The side walls of the slot 30 in theItop face of the head 6 are grooved as at 33 for guiding the clampingmembers 27, and the rear ends of said clamping members are provided withthumb screws 34 for effecting the clamping operation.

The operation of the device is as follows z-When it is desired toascertain the length ofa roof rafter or other similar structural timber,the slide head 6 is brought to a position on the carpenters square sothat the index marker 10 will coincide with a graduation on one blade ofthe carpenters square which corresponds to the scaled horizontalprojection of the timber. The knurled nut 18 being slightly loosened sothat the blade 11 may be swung about the center, which it will be notedcoincides with the intersection of the index marker 10 with the straightWorking edge 7 of the head 6; the blade 20 is then swung to a positionon the other blade ofthe square corresponding to the scaled dimension ofthe vertical projection of the timber, and

the proper length of the timber may then be read along the graduatededge 13 of the blade 11. Where the shape of the structure is given indegrees instead of the horizontal and vertical projections, theprotractor 26 may be employed, or the same may be used to ascertain thenumber of degrees of inclination from any given dimensions in thehorizontal and vertical projections.

It will also be seen that the-shape or angles of the cuts of the timbersmay be initially set on the instrument, and that it may then be used tolay out the work on the timbers. It is in connectionwith this laying outof the cuts on the timbers that the extension 19 of the blade 11 will befound most useful, as it will be apparent that it would not be otherwisepossible to draw a line on the timber from the edge thereof on accountof the location of the pivot stud 8 and the associated parts. By the useof the extension 19 of the blade 11 however, after the main portion ofthe desired line is drawn the slide head 6 may be shifted and one of themargins 21 or 22 of the aperture 20 of the extension 19 may be employedto continue the line to the edge, or in some cases the outer edge of theblade 11 will enable the line to be drawn in its entirety, all of whichwill be clearly apparent from an inspection of Fig. 1 of the drawings.

A number of varied uses for the apparatus will occur to those skilled inthe art, and which it is needles to set forth here in detail.

Having thus described the nature and characteristic features of myinvention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patentis 1. In a device of the character described, a slide head, a studcarried thereby and a blade pivotally mounted on said stud and adaptedto swing about the center thereof, said blade having a portion extendingrearwardly beyond said stud and said extension having an apertureprovided with margins parallel to the working edges of the blade.

2. In a device of the character described, a slide head, a stud carriedthereby, said stud having an aperture extending therethrough, means forvisually indicating the center of said stud, and a blade pivotallymounted on said stud and adapted to swing about the center thereof, saidblade having a portion extending rearwardly beyond said stud and saidextension having an aperture provided with margins parallel to theworking edges of the blade. i

3. 1n a device of the character described, a slide head, a stud carriedthereby, a blade pivotally mounted on said stud and adapted to swingabout the center thereof, and a protractor carried by the slide head,the blade having a portion extending rearwardly beyond the stud oversaid protractor and said extension having an aperture provided withmargins parallel to the working edges of the blade.

4. In a device of the character described, a slide head having astraight working edge, a stud carried thereby, said stud having anaperture extending therethrough, said aperture being circular for aportion of its depth and semi-circular for the remainder of its depthand the flat side of the semi-circular portion being in a planecoincident with the straight working edge of the slide head, and a bladepivotally mounted on said Stud and adapted to swing about the centerthereof.

5. In a device of the character described, a slide head having straightworking edge, a stud carried thereby, said stud having an apertureextending therethrough, a blade pivotally mounted on said stud andadapted to swing about the center thereof, and means for visuallyindicating the center of said stud comprising a thin inserted piece ofmetal of different color from that of the slide head.

6. In a device of the character described, a slide head having straightworking edge, a stud carried thereby, said stud having an apertureextending therethrough, a blade pivotally mounted on said stud andadapted to swing about the center thereof and means for visuallyindicating the center of said stud comprising a thin inserted piece ofmetal of different color from that of the slide head, said insertedpiece of metal eX- tending beyond the straight Working edge of theslidehead.

7 In a device of the character described, a slide head, a stud carriedthereby, a blade pivotally mounted on said stud and adapted to swingabout the center thereof, and clamping members carried by said slidehead, each of said clamping members being mounted in slots cutrespectively in the top and bottom faces of the slide head and eX-tending part way across said faces from the respective edges of saidslide head.

8. In adevice of the character described, a slide head, a stud carriedthereby, a blade pivotally mounted on said stud and adapted to swingabout the center thereof, and clamping members carried by said slidehead, each of said clamping members being mounted in slots cutrespectively in the top and bottom faces of the slide head and extendingpart way across said faces from the respective edges of said slide head,and said clamping members each having a hook at one end and a thumbscrew at the other end.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name in the presence oftwo witnesses.

GURNEY MYERS. Witnesses:

A. D. JOHNSON, 7.v H. KooNs.

Copies of this patent may 'be obtained for ve cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

